Update:According to the Denver Police Department, a welfare request from Liz Tomocik's employer led officers to a murder-suicide at 777 N. Washington Street, with Tomocik subsequently determined to have killed Gerald Cler and then shot herself.

Now we know the identity of that employer. Tomocik worked at the office of John Suthers, Colorado Attorney General.

AG spokesman Mike Saccone confirms that Tomocik served as an administrative assistant in the unemployment law unit, a section that focuses on the sort of civil litigation and employment law matters that tend to be heard by the state's personnel board. She was hired in early November 2007, and was part of the AG office's large staff, estimated by Saccone at around 400 employees for the operation as a whole. He notes that victims-assistance staffers from the Denver Police Department have been made available to assist Tomocik's co-workers in processing this shocking event.

DPD spokesman Sonny Jackson emphasizes that there's no evidence Tomocik's job played any role in the murder-suicide.

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Update, October 20:As noted in a previous update to this post, Gerald Cler and Liz Tomocik were found dead at 777 North Washington Street earlier this month in what Denver Police described as a likely murder-suicide scenario.

Now, DPD spokesman Sonny Jackson says investigators have concluded that Tomocik was the shooter in the incident.

"The female shot the male," Jackson says. "We received a call from the female's employer. He asked us to do a welfare check. We responded to the location, entered the home and found two people deceased. All indications appear to show that it was a murder-suicide where the female shot the male and then took her own life."

A memorial service was held for Cler yesterday, with another one scheduled this weekend in Pesotum, Illinois, where many of his family members live, according to a heartfelt obituary published by the Colorado Daily. Get more details on this tragic event from previous updates to this post, on view below.

Update, October 15: The dead in what the Denver Police Department suspects to have been a murder-suicide at 777 North Washington Street have been identified as Gerald Cler, a 55-year-old white male, and Liz Tomocik, a 54-year-old African-American female. At this point, the Denver coroner says the "cause and manner of death are pending." Get more information from our original item below, published on October 13.

Original item, October 13:

Earlier today, Denver Police discovered a man and a woman dead at 777 North Washington Street -- and according to spokesman Sonny Jackson, a preliminary investigation suggests a murder-suicide scenario. No IDs yet. Look below to get early details from a DPD release, and see an interactive graphic of the area near the scene; if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."

Denver Police Department release:

On October 13, 2010 at 11:22 a.m., Denver Police dispatch received a call concerning a welfare check at 777 North Washington Street for a male party who had not shown up at work since last Thursday. Officers responded to the residence and found a male and female dead inside the apartment. Homicide Detectives were called to the scene and the preliminary investigation indicates that this was a murder suicide. This investigation is in the preliminary stages and further details will be released as they become available.

The identification of the victims is not being released at this time pending positive identification of the victims and notification of next of kin by the Officer of the Medical Examiner.